Aurora, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City of Aurora, Illinois | |||
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| Nickname: "City of Lights" | |||
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| Country | United States | ||
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| State | Illinois | ||
| Counties | Kane, DuPage, Kendall and Will | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Tom Weisner (D) | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 39.4 sq mi (102.1 km²) | ||
| - Land | 38.5 sq mi (99.8 km²) | ||
| - Water | 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²) | ||
| Elevation | Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "[" ft (176 m - 224 (203) m) | ||
| Population (2003) | |||
| - City | 157,267 | ||
| - Density | 3,711.2/sq mi (1,432.9/km²) | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
| { | |||
| Website: http://www.aurora-il.org/ | |||
Aurora is a city in Kane, DuPage, Will and Kendall counties in Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 142,990, making it the third-largest city in Illinois; in 2003, a special census found the city's population to be 157,267, making it the second-largest city in Illinois, behind Chicago and just ahead of Rockford. (Some Rockford residents dispute the claim, as their city was not recounted at the same time, thus the matter may not be settled until the 2010 US Census). About 110,000 of the city's residents reside in Kane County, while about 42,000 live in DuPage County. Only a few thousand Aurorans are in Will and Kendall Counties.
The city refers to itself as "The City of Lights" because it was one of the first communities to adopt all-electric street lighting (in 1881 - the nickname was adopted in 1908).
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[edit] History
Aurora was originally two towns: McCarty Mills on the East side and Hartford on the West side of the Fox River. McCarty Mills was named for founders Samuel and Joseph McCarty. The McCarty brothers initially owned land on both sides of the river, but sold their lands on the west side, living and operating their mill on the east side. McCarty Mills eventually incorporated as Aurora, and Hartford incorporated as West Aurora. The name of Aurora was chosen because the Aurora Borealis, or "Northern Lights", were shimmering fantastic hues of greens and blues high above the night sky on the eve of a then-popular festival called Dairy Days. To this day, Aurora is one of few cities with official colors (of blue and green) due to this overwhelmingly magical event.[1] The Aurora Fire Department was established in 1856, and took ownership of its first fire engine that year. The two towns incorporated as one in 1857. The two sides couldn’t agree on which side of the river should house the public buildings, so these buildings and eventually all of downtown were built around Stolp Island in the middle of the River. A parking garage stands at the site of the original City Hall and Post Office. The two towns leave a legacy of rivalry between the East and West which is mostly enacted through a high school football/basketball rivalry. This is the oldest high school rivalry in the state, and it was featured in a special "Us vs. Them" article in the Chicago Tribune in May 2006.
Aurora has a long tradition of manufacturing, making it an industrial center that could stand alone, separate from Chicago. Prominent manufacturers included: Lyon Workspace Products, The Aurora Silver Plate Manufacturing Company, Barber Greene Ltd., the Chicago Corset Company, the Aurora Brewing Company, Stephens-Adamson Company, Caterpillar Incorporated, and Western Wheeled Scraper Works (later Austin-Western Inc.). The most prominent employer and industry was the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad (later Burlington Northern) which was headquartered in Aurora. The CB&Q Roundhouse is still standing, and is now the popular restaurant Walter Payton’s Roundhouse.
President George W. Bush visited Aurora, Illinois on July 7, 2006, as the second president to ever visit Aurora. The first was Theodore Roosevelt in 1904.[2]
[edit] Geography
Aurora is located at (41.759879, -88.298482)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 102.1 km² (39.4 mi²). 99.8 km² (38.5 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (2.26%) is water.
While the city has traditionally been considered as being in Kane County, Illinois (and in fact its downtown is still entirely in that county), Aurora is one of only three cities in Illinois where the city limits actually cover parts of four counties (the others are Barrington Hills & Centralia, Illinois): Kane, DuPage, Kendall, and Will.
[edit] Regions of Aurora
Aurora is generally divided into three regions, though politically the city is divided into several wards.
- The West Side is all of Aurora west of the Fox River
- The East Side is the city east of the river excluding the DuPage County part.
- Fox Valley, also referred to as the Far East Side is the DuPage County part of the city. This is kind of a misnomer due to the fact that this region is not on the Fox. In fact, some parts lie in the DuPage watershed instead of the Fox watershed. It is actually nicknamed as such due to the proximity of the area to Fox Valley Mall; one of the first housing developments to be constructed simultaneously with the mall in Aurora is the "Fox Valley Villages".
The city is the final stop of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line of the Metra commuter rail system, allowing rail service into Chicago. In addition, Aurora manages the southern parking lot of the Metra station at Illinois Route 59. The northern lot is managed by neighboring Naperville.
[edit] Landmarks
The city is the location of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) and Aurora University. A major Hindu temple and an Islamic mosque are located near IMSA. There are two shopping malls within Aurora city limits: The Fox Valley Mall (which opened in the 1970s and is now known as Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Valley), itself a large indoor mall with four anchor tenants, is also surrounded by many shopping and dining complexes (most commonly a series of "strip malls"), along Illinois Route 59 in the DuPage County portion of the city, near Naperville. The second is the "Chicago Premium Outlets" (opened in 2004) which, despite the name, is accessible from the Farnsworth Road (North) exit off of Interstate 88, and lies fully within Aurora city limits. Aurora also has its own zoo, Phillips Park Zoo.
Downtown Aurora is home to the Paramount Arts Centre, a large live performance theater on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hollywood Casino, and four museums: including the the Aurora Historical Society, Aurora Regional Fire Museum, the Aurora Public Arts Commission, and SciTech Interactive Science Museum. Also located downtown is the main building of Aurora Public Library and a branch campus of Waubonsee Community College. Downtown Alive, a festival that includes live music and a variety of food booths, is held every Friday night in the summer. Roughly 8,000-10,000 people attend every Friday night. Downtown Aurora also hosts the annual Midwest Literary Festival during the second weekend in September. The Geneva Hotel was once the site of a debate in which Abraham Lincoln participated during his unsuccessful run for the United States Senate. The Riverfront Playhouse is a not-for-profit theater that has held a storefront location in downtown Aurora since 1978.[3]
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 142,990 people, 46,489 households, and 34,215 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,432.9/km² (3,711.5/mi²). There were 48,797 housing units at an average density of 489.0/km² (1,266.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.07% White, 11.06% African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 14.52% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.56% of the population.
There were 46,489 households out of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.55.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 35.9% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,861, and the median income for a family was $61,113. Males had a median income of $41,429 versus $30,150 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,131. About 6.2% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
According to the United States Census, of Aurora's population over the age of twenty-five, 26% hold a bachelor's degree.
There are three independent school districts with headquarters in Aurora (East Aurora Public School District 131, West Aurora Public School District 129 and Indian Prairie School District 204), and students living in Aurora also attend schools of the Batavia, Illinois and Oswego, Illinois school districts, and Kaneland Community Unit School District 302, headquartered in Maple Park, Illinois. Further general information on public schools serving Aurora can be found in the Public school systems in Aurora, Illinois article.
The above-named districts have forty-six public schools within the city limits of Aurora (seventeen for District #131, thirteen for District #129, eleven for District #204, four for Oswego District #308 and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy). Aurora is also home to twenty-two private schools, a branch of the Waubonsee Community College (located downtown), and the main campus of Aurora University.
[edit] Notable residents
Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling and his younger brother, convicted Enron ex-CEO Jeffrey Skilling, graduated from West Aurora High School, although they had been born in Pittsburgh. The late legendary Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn was an Aurora native. The fictional characters Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar (portrayed by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, respectively), who first appeared on Saturday Night Live and then in two Wayne's World movies, lived in Aurora; most of their adventures were centered there. (The movies, however, were shot elsewhere.) The city is referenced in an Alkaline Trio song, which refers to an automobile accident that took place in the City of Lights.
Other residents have included:
- Amos Lane, (1778-1849), born in Aurora, United States Congressman[4]
- Josh Harmony, professional skateboarder
- Ira Clifton Copley, statesman and publisher, founder of the Copley Press
- Kurt Becker, born in Aurora, former NFL player for the 1985 Chicago Bears
- Brad Childress, born in Aurora, current NFL coach of the Minnesota Vikings
[edit] References
- Aurora, Illinois in the Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago
- Aurora Fire Department history honoring its 150th anniversary, in 2006.
[edit] Notes
- ^ History of Chicagoland, Byers & Byers, 1986. Page 116.
- ^ 95.9 The River. Scott Childers. WERV-FM, IL. 07-July-2006.
- ^ Riverfront Playhouse Official Site
- ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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| Central City | Chicago |  |
| Largest cities (over 30,000 in 2000) | Aurora • Berwyn • Calumet City • Chicago Heights • Crystal Lake • DeKalb • Des Plaines • East Chicago • Elgin • Elmhurst • Evanston • Gary • Hammond • Harvey • Highland Park • Joliet • Kenosha • Naperville • North Chicago • Park Ridge • Portage • Waukegan • Wheaton |
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| Largest towns and villages (over 30,000 in 2000) | Addison • Arlington Heights • Bartlett • Bolingbrook • Buffalo Grove • Carol Stream • Carpentersville • Cicero • Downers Grove • Elk Grove Village • Glendale Heights • Glenview • Hanover Park • Hoffman Estates • Lombard • Merrillville • Mount Prospect • Mundelein • Niles • Northbrook • Oak Lawn • Oak Park • Orland Park • Palatine • Schaumburg • Skokie • Streamwood • Tinley Park • Wheeling • Woodridge | |
| Counties | Cook • DeKalb • DuPage • Grundy • Jasper • Kane • Kankakee • Kendall • Kenosha • Lake (Illinois) • Lake (Indiana) • LaPorte • McHenry • Newton • Porter • Will | |
